Exclusive: City rushing to prevent another waste pipe leak disaster in Coast’s north

A second leak has occurred in the northern Gold Coast pipe network - which burst causing waste to be dumped for months in the Albert River - sparking anger from residents.

A second sewer leak has occurred in the northern Gold Coast pipe network - which burst causing waste to be dumped for months in the Albert River - sparking concerns of residents.

The Bulletin was alerted just before 4pm on Thursday to tankers again attending the roundabout near Yatala Pie Shop to contain the leakage.

A concerned resident said: “It’s the same area (as the last incident). There are a lot of tankers. This is starting to give me the s---s.”

A City spokesperson just before 5pm said council was made aware “in the late afternoon” of “an odour” at Stapylton Jacobs Well Road at Yatala.

“City Officers immediately attended the site and identified a sewer pipe blockage which had been caused by a collapsed manhole,” a spokesperson said. “The spill has been contained and crews remain onsite to undertake clean up and repairs. The City’s environment team is also undertaking continuous monitoring of the site.

“No sewerage has entered the Albert River. This is a minor leak and not related to the sewerage spill at Yatala last year.”

Meanwhile, it can be revealed secret City works, continuing since late last year, have led to the start of a temporary sewer line to replace large sections near the pipe which busted leading to months of waste going into the river. Concerned residents prior to the latest leak contacted the Bulletin after noticing council workers building the pipeline in rural blocks and inside the industrial estate at Yatala near a pump station.

The City has confirmed the works are part of a $77.5m Stapleton Sewerage Network upgrade. Council was asked about above-ground piping being laid at the Nyholt Drive and Business St connection west of the highway, and more connections east at a private property. The Bulletin asked for ballpark costs, length of works and what will happen with the pipe connection to the Logan waste water treatment plant.

Gold Coast City Council workers at Yatala in the city's north working on fixing sewer pipelines.

An exclusive report in April last year exposed how a pipe – a sewer rising main crossing the river just east of the Pacific Motorway linking to Logan’s plant – was leaking untreated effluent into the river from January 11 to April 8.

The state Environment Department (DESI) described council’s system breakdown as a “catastrophic failure” and a consultant report found the City’s expenditure on wastewater assets had been halved despite a population boom.

Council was slapped with one of the largest “enforceable actions” handed down in Queensland with DESI demanding $2.1m in works — and is overhauling sewer systems.

A City spokesperson in a response said council was “committed to rigorous and continual improvement”.

“A temporary sewer line has been put in place to enable remedial pipe works and capacity enhancement of sections of the Stapylton sewerage network. The permanent works will be occurring over the next two years on a prioritised basis. Once completed all above ground temporary works will be removed,” the spokesperson said. “Improvements in our network monitoring and leak detection are also to be implemented on the BE35 pipeline and across the wider sewerage network.”

The Albert River sewer leak - a map showing the area where the Gold Coast City Council pipe broke and impact on the surrounding system. Pump station BE35 is where new piping has been placed.

The budget for the Stapylton Sewerage Network Upgrade was $77.5m. The recommendation from the independent report was the City revises its Logan City Council arrangement.

“This means reviewing our processes, not removing or disusing the subject sewerage pipe. This review work is being undertaken as part of the commissioning process for Logan City’s new Beenleigh Sewage Treatment Plant,” the spokesperson said.

Councillor Mark Hammel said the works at the rising pipe main would provide a temporary structure before major upgrades kicked off.

“I’m really pleased as a result of the independent investigation that further action with this temporary pipeline and major works would be underway very soon,” he said.

“This is an incredibly important piece of sewerage infrastructure that takes a large catchment across the Logan River to the Beenleigh Sewerage Treatment Plat by the Logan City Council. It must be kept in the highest order.”

Originally published as Exclusive: City rushing to prevent another waste pipe leak disaster in Coast’s north